REPUBLICAN PARTY CONGRESS ELECTS DEFENSE MINISTER CHAIRMAN OF GOVERNING BOARD

Armenpress

YEREVAN, JULY 24, ARMENPRESS: An extraordinary congress of the
governing Republican Party elected last Saturday defense minister
Serzh Sarkisian chairman of its governing council. This position was
specially created to be given to the influential minister.

Speaking to reporters after his election Serzh Sarkisian explained
his desire to formalize his membership in this party by a long record
of mutual cooperation. He recalled also that he had been elected to
parliament in 2003 elections on this party’s ticket.

"Though the defense minister has become member of a political party,
the armed forces remain non-partisan and therefore my decision is
legally correct," he said. The extraordinary congress has raised the
number of members of its ruling council from 42 to 70. It now comprises
many parliament and government members, wealthy businessmen. It
also incorporated a series of changes to its statutes. Addressing
the congress, the chairman of the party, prime minister Andranik
Margarian, spoke also about the resolution of the Karabakh conflict,
reiterating that the most recent proposals put forth by the OSCE Minsk
group, calling for the pullout of Armenian troops from some of regions
surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, deployment of international peacekeeping
contingent and a referendum to decide the final status of Karabakh,
were largely acceptable for Armenia. Margarian, however, added
that these principles were again rejected by Azerbaijan. Margarian
said this conflict must be resolved based on four basic principles:
international acknowledgment of the Nagorno-Karabakh population’s
right to self-determination, Nagorno-Karabakh must have an overland
connection with Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh must never become part of
Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh must have international guarantees of
security of its people and borders. Speaking about other priorities
of the government, the prime minister listed the European integration
and boosting cooperation within CIS. The Republican Party, making
the coalition government together with the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation and the United Labor Party, has more seats in the parliament
than other forces and boasts of some 30,000 members.